Environmental law regulations are highly detailed and frequently amended, so they require extensive knowledge of how they function in particular economic sectors. The increasing regulation of environmental protection has expanded the range of entrepreneurs’ obligations. We have a wealth of experience and extensive knowledge of the operational specificities and functioning of individual markets.
Environmental protection
We have cooperated for many years with investors and entrepreneurs, both Polish and international, from various sectors of the economy (e.g. mining, energy, metallurgy, construction, industry, including the food industry).
How can we help?
- Coordinating the services of external consultants, including environmental technicians and engineers, supporting the client’s investment and activities.
Environmental registers, reporting, fees
- Advising on obligations to be listed in environmental registers and data updates;
- Monitoring environmental reporting and fees obligations;
- Advising on waste management reporting;
- Advising on the legal aspects of water management, water service charges and water service reporting.
Waste management
- Advising on waste management, including hazardous waste, municipal waste and packaging and packaging waste;
- Advising on managing production by-products, including waste, including by implementing processes regarding the loss of waste status and extractive by-product formation;
- Analysing compliance with EU law, including the Waste Directive and REACH regulation;
- Assisting in processes related to packaging management, including registering with the BDO, agreements on packaging management and maintaining recycling levels.
Realisation of investments
- Advising on the environmental requirements which apply to investments;
- Preparing legal opinions, studies, reports and audits;
- Reporting on the legal and environmental backdrop to investments and preparing feasibility studies for planned investments;
- Helping to obtain environmental decisions and to conduct environmental impact assessments;
- Supporting and representing clients in proceedings to obtain and amend environmental permits, including integrated permits and sectoral permits (water, waste and emission permits).
Greenhouse gas emission allowance trading
- Advising on the legal aspects of operating installations within the allowance trading scheme;
- Representing clients in matters of legal environmental protection;
- Helping to obtain free emission allowances;
- Advising on trading allowances and derivatives;
- Verifying the possibility to opt-out of participation in the EU ETS.
Environmental damage, remediation, restoration
- Advising on liability for environmental pollution, including soil, and on preventing and remedying environmental damage and historical environmental pollution;
- Helping to assess environmental damage liability, including land remediation;
- Advising on drafting contractual provisions of environmental liability in the event of property succession;
- Helping to verify historical environmental information.
Selected projects
- Preparing an opinion for a leading industrial concern, regarding a project to construct an offshore wind farm (Baltic Power) and its compliance with Polish and EU environmental law. The opinion discussed to what extent the releavnt EU environmental law has been fully and correctly implemented into Polish law, and where implementation is deficient or even subject to infringement proceedings initiated by the European Commission. The opinion aims to ensure that funding provided by the European financial institutions is properly used
- Advising Meide Group on the acquisition of Odlewnia Zawiercie with regard to environmental protection issues covering environmental permits, including licenses for manufacturing and trading in explosives, weapons, ammunition and products and technology for military or police use
Awards